


We Are The Dead

by Proskenion



Category: 1984 - George Orwell, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: 1984 AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1984 Fusion, Angst, David Bowie - Freeform, Imprisonment, Inspired by a David Bowie Song, Love, M/M, Psychological Torture, Ramsay is His Own Warning, Romance, Song Inspired, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-10-14 18:02:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20605016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proskenion/pseuds/Proskenion
Summary: Theon is a low member of the Party, trying to live his life without fuss, even if he actually hates the Party. But one day, he meets Robb and finds in him someone who thinks like he does, and their growing love give them both strength and will to fight. But the Virgin King is watching you, and danger is never far...





	1. First Book

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SelkieWife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SelkieWife/gifts).

> Hello my dear squids ! 
> 
> I've been thinking about this alternate universe for a while, I really hope you will love it. I actually took the ASoIaF characters and throw them in the 1984 universe - I hope I did it right and it will work for you ! 
> 
> Before starting, a few explanation is required : 
> 
> Winston = Theon  
Julia = Robb  
O’Brien = Ramsay Bolton  
Big Brother = Joffrey Baratheon (called the Virgin King)  
Mr Charrington = Locke  
Emmanuel Goldstein = Daenerys Targaryen
> 
> Oceania = Iron Islands  
Eurasia = Westeros  
Eastasia = Essos
> 
> Ministery of Truth, Plenty, Peace and Love stayed named as such.
> 
> Thought Police = Kingsguard  
Brotherhood = Sons of the Harpy  
Junior Spies = Little Birds 
> 
> Enjoy my squid babes <3

Theon walked slowly up the stairs to his appartment. The lift was always out of order. Another working day as passed, perfectly identical to the others, and Theon were climbing up to his flat in exactly the same manner as usual. As always, he was met by a huge poster of Joffrey Baratheon at every floor. On the poster, in capital letter, the same old slogan : THE VIRGIN KING IS WATCHING YOU. 

Coming in his flat, he locked the door behind him and went to the ktichen to pour himself some fresh water. He could use some ale, he thought, but alcohol was stricly prohibited. He tried to ignore the telescreen, that bloody thing could never be turned off, and of course, Theon knew it, the Kingsguard used it as an observation device. _The Virgin King is watching you_…

Theon put his empty glass in the the sink. From the huge glass window, he could see the Ministery of Truth, where he worked. Theon’s job involved reajusting History so it could fit the Party’s messages. Of course that’s not how it was stated in his job description. Technically, Theon did not ajust or distort anything – he was just writing the truth. Even if the truth of today generally were yesterday’s lies. 

The other Ministeries were the Ministery of Peace, the Ministery of Plenty, and the Ministery of Love. The Ministery of Peace dealt with the everlasting war between the Iron Islands and their enemies. At the moment, the Iron Islands were at war with Essos, while Westeros were their allied. Theon remembered a time when they were at war with Westeros and allied to Essos, though. Of course, officially, the Islands had always been at war with Essos, and saying – or thinking – otherwise meant thoughtcrime. And thoughtcrime was the worst crime of all. 

The Ministery of Plenty dealt with economics. As for the Ministery of Love, better not get involved with it. Many thoughtcriminals had entered it to never come out. 

Technically, Theon was a member of the Party. A low member, but a member anyway. This meant he was meant to live quite comfortably, although his life still belonged to the Party. No one could actually escape the Party’s rules :

WAR IS PEACE  
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY  
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

In truth, Theon wasn’t fully involved in the Party’s business. He couldn’t go against it, though. That would be thoughtcrime, open rebellion even. Rebels were not tolarated in the Iron Islands.

They were rebels, though. An underground group called the Sons of the Harpy. Their leader was Daenerys Targaryen. She was meant to be some sort of sorceress, some even claimed she had three dragons at her side, plus her troups of masked rebels. Theon doubted she even existed, though. As far as he knew, she could have been a creation of the Party, to better terrify and control everyone. The Party claimed she was hiding in Essos, and that is why they were at war with them. Daenerys Targaryen was as much a figure of terror for the Ironborns as she was a hope of freedom. And what was freedom anyway in a meticulously controlled state ?

Theon walked to his bedroom, intending to go to sleep. But when he passed next to his chest of drawers, he remembered what he had hidden in it. He looked behind him at the telescreen. The drawers were situated at the only blind spot of the flat. Theon swallowed, thought fast, and opened the first drawer. 

He took a small copybook out. He had bought it one week ago, in a small shop in the prols neighbourhood. As a Party member, he wasn’t meant to go to the prols part of the city, but his feet had brought him here before he had realised it. He had found this old shop, the seller was an old man called Locke, and Theon had came out with that copybook. 

Owning a copybook was a crime in itself. Writing in it was even worse. 

Theon looked at the blank page, wondering what to do. He grabbed a pencil. He looked back at the telescreen again. 

Theon thought about his family. An abusing father, working for the Ministery of Love and that he hadn’t seen in years. Dead brothers, lost in the war. A sister, lost too, though she probably wasn’t dead. She just walked out one day and never came back. And a mother, of whom he had very little memories. The only thing he could recall about her were her smell, and an untolerable feeling of suffocating, of sinking in dark water and drowning. 

Theon looked down at the copybook and his heart missed a beat. While his thoughts were elsewhere, his hand had written automatically on the paper. DOWN WITH THE VIRGIN KING, written over and over on the full page. 

Theon closed the book and put it back in the drawer. Cold sweat was running from his hair on the back of his neck. 

He had committed thoughtcrime. Writing, even absent-mindedly, what he had just written, was punishable by death. 

He went to bed, knowing that sooner or later, the Kingsguard would come to him. The clock toward his annihilation had started to tick.

#

Theon woke up with the vague memory of his mother, and a ship drowning. Then he remembered what he had done the night before, and his belly immediately tangled up.

No one has come to get him, though, and he got ready for work. When he left his flat, he met his neighbours’ children playing. They gave him a nasty look, and Theon thought it wouldn’t take long for the Kingsguards to come and get him – everyone knew these children were Little Birds, and sooner or later they would report him as a throughtcriminal. 

At work, as usual, the day started with a praise to the Virgin King, and an indictment against Daenerys Targaryen. It’s a moment every member of the Party awaits – claiming their dear Leader’s worth, and yelling against the Great Enemy. 

Theon took part of it, as he should. Though his heart, even more than usual, was elsewhere. More than ever, he felt like a reject, a defect of the Government. 

In front of him were a man that Theon had noticed before. Tall, strong, with dark hair and extremely bright eyes. His lips were red and plump. He was always smirking, looking everyone intensely, as if knowing you best than yourself. Theon realised he was staring at him only too late, when the man turned his face to him. He smiled, looking Theon like they were both sharing the same secret. Abashed, Theon didn’t react. 

This man’s name was Ramsay Bolton, Theon recalled. He was a high member of the Party, and something in his appearance, and the way he smiled and looked at him, made Theon immediately inclined to trust him. 

Someone screamed behind Theon, something about Daenerys Targaryen being a dragon witch. Theon glanced above his shoulder and saw a young man seeming particularly virulent against the Great Enemy. The man probably were only a few years younger than him, he was smaller and had auburn hair. Theon hadn’t noticed him before but something in his attitude felt utterly repulsive for Theon. He looked away and started screaming with the others again, more heartfully than before.

That night, when Theon came back to his home, he met the neighbour’s children again. The little girl had been waiting for him in the dark of the corridor, and when he had come in sight, she had thrown small stones at him. Theon didn’t say a thing and went to his flat, locking the door behind him. 

On the morning after, he felt relieved, though surprised, of not having been arrested yet. He stood up, and while taking his coffee in front of the telescreen, he remembered the strange dream he had. 

He was walking on the beach, barefoot in the sand, wind through his hair and sea spray sticking to his skin. Seagulls were heard in the distance. And there, he had met Ramsay Bolton, smiling at him the same way he had on the day before. ‘We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.’ Bolton had said.

At work that day, he saw the auburn young man again. He noticed him at lunch break in the refectory. Theon had tried to ignore him, but the young man was constantly looking at him. Theon feelings of repulsion and distrust grew bigger. Maybe he was part of the Kingsguard, maybe he was spying on him to prove Theon was a thoughtcriminal. Theon had immediately left the refectory. 

When he came home that night, he didn’t see his neighbour’s children and took it as a bad sign. As always, he locked the door, and went to drink a bit of fresh water. Then, he went to his chest of drawers and took the copybook. He wrote :

_We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness_.

#

Days went by, and Theon started to think that maybe – maybe – he wouldn’t be arrested at all. Every day were the same and similar than before. In the refectory, Theon would lunch with the same usual colleagues, smiling and laughing when he had to, listenning when he should. He had always been good at keeping appearances. For all those who knew him, he was a happy member of the Party, always laughing and smiling, and enjoying his part in their glorious country. Of course, on the inside, Theon was nothing like a happy member of the Party.

He couldn’t help noticing the auburn young man, though. He he seemed to cross his way almost every day since that particular morning. Theon was feeling rather uncomfortable, wondering if he wase being paranoid or if the young man was, indeed, spying on him. But he if was a secret member of the Kingsguard, why Theon hadn’t been arrested yet ? Were they taking their time to take him off guard ? 

That day, the auburn boy went to sit exactly next to Theon. He saw this as a sign he was lost. The young man has always kept his distance before, so him coming so close to him couldn’t mean anything good. Theon stayed there a little, exceptionally quiet, watching the young boy from the corner of his eyes. He was acting like Theon wasn’t actually there, chatting and laughing with his friends. After a while, Theon stood up, pretending he wasn’t hungry, and left. 

He had to force himself not to run. When he came out of the room, he realised how sweaty and breathless he was. He took a moment to get a grip on himself. 

That’s when he saw Ramsay Bolton getting out of the refectory. The two men looked at each other. Bolton smiled to him, the same way he had that morning, weeks ago. Then he went away. Theon watched him leave, and he realised that his smile had somehow calmed him down. 

The afternoon went without any trouble for Theon. He just did his job, as always, and when it was time to leave, he took his jacket and left. 

Just when he was about to get out of the Ministery, someone came running from behind, and bumped into him. Theon fell, as long as with the other person. 

‘I’m sorry,’ said a man’s voice. 

Theon looked up and when he realised it was the auburn young man, he found himself speechless. The man helped him up, apologising again, and went away. Theon blinked once or twice, abashed. 

He realised he was holding a small piece of paper in his hand, piece of paper that wasn’t there before. _This is it_, he thought, _they found me, now I’m truly lost_. 

He got out of the Ministery and when he was far enough, he looked at the paper. His heart skipped a beat, then jumped out of his chest. 

On the piece of paper, in small, delicate letters, was written : 

_I love you_.


	2. Second Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO this is mainly fluff and romance, but angst is always round the corner, and the ending is… well, angsty.

Coming in the refectory, Theon scanned the area as discreetly as possible. He found him, alone at a table. He went to sit next to him, nonchalantly. 

Of course, the refectory was under surveillance, everything and everyone was. There was telescreens on every wall. For a while, neither Theon nor the auburn boy talked. Then, finally, Theon said quietly, without looking at him :

‘I got your message.’ 

The man took his time before answering :

‘And ?’ 

Theon stayed silent. For almost ten minutes, he didn’t say a thing. He took the time to finish his plate before saying :

‘Meet me tonight on Pyke Place, just after work, when it’s still crowded.’

The young boy didn’t answer. Instead, he emptied his glass of water, and he left. 

Theon waited for the day to end with a feverish excitation he had a hard time to hide. When eventually it was time for him to leave, he compelled himself to keep a steady walk and not to run. His heart was racing. 

He waited and waited on Pyke Place, to the point he concluded the young man wouldn’t come. That’s when he appeared in the crowd. For a brief moment, they exchanged a glance. Then Theon lost him. A while later, the man was next to him. 

‘Don’t look at me,’ Theon said. ‘Just act as if you didn’t know me.’

‘Of course.’ 

Lost in the middle of the crowd, it would be easier for them to stay out of sight. They still had to be carefull, though, because secret Kingsguard’s members could be anywhere. 

‘Why ?’ Theon asked.

‘I’ve been watching you.’

‘I know that. What’s your name ?’ 

‘Robb.’

Robb. A nice name. After that they lost each other in the crowd. When they found each other again, Theon said :

‘I’m Theon.’

‘I know.’ 

Theon swallowed. Robb was just passing behind him. They were walking in a way that wouldn’t show they were together, only exchanging words when they came accross together. A glance above his shoulder gave Theon a quick view of the man’s face. He had never seen him that close, and he noticed freckles. Theon put his hand in his trousers pockets. 

‘I don’t trust you,’ Theon whispered. 

And doing so, he touched Robb’s fingers and, as Robb had done before, put a little piece of paper in his hand. After that he disappeared in the crowd without a look back. 

Theon found it hard to fall asleep that night. He couldn’t stop thinking about Robb. About his auburn hair, about those freckles he had just noticed. About those three words. _I love you_. He thought about all those weeks of mistrust and discomfort, about that unpleasant feeling in his belly everytime he had seen him. Now, despite an inner voice telling him to stay careful, all this had changed. Everything had changed, because of three simple words. 

_I love you_. 

Theon stood up. He went to his kitchen and drank water directly from the sink. He put his wet hands on his face and through his hair. Going back to his room, he stopped next to his chest of drawers. Quickly, he took the copybook out. He opened it on a blank page and just wrote : _Robb_. 

Of course, love was a crime. Lust was worse. The only relationship allowed were between husband and wife, though even marriage didn’t mean love. Love was coarse, primitive. What mattered was family, and inheritance. Theon wasn’t married, he wasn’t interested in it. Younger, he had dreamed of marrying a high Party member’s daughter, but that had just been a child’s fancy. Now, the only relationship he had were in the most illicit ways, in the prols neighbourhood, with women and men you paid for a stolen, illicit moment of fake love. 

Theon went back to bed. Tomorrow, he would know. Tomorrow, he would be sure. Because tomorrow, him and Robb would meet in a discreet hidden place, where they could talk. A place only known by Theon. That’s what he had written on that little piece of paper he had given to Robb. A place where they could be alone, and talk. 

Tomorrow.

#

Theon was fidgetting impatiently. This place was one of the rare place of the city which couldn’t been reached by telescreens and cameras. It was a huge bush of diverse flowers in the middle of Saltcliff Park.

The bush suddenly moved and Theon jumped. When he recognised Robb, he relaxed. 

‘I thought you wouldn’t come,’ he said. ‘Or that you would have called the Kingsguard.’

‘Why would I do that ?’ Robb replied. 

Theon smirked. 

‘How do I know you’re not a member of the Kingsguard ?’ he asked. 

‘How do I know you’re not a member of the Kingsguard ?’ Robb asked back. 

Theon snorted. He looked at the young man carefully. 

‘Fair enough,’ he said. ‘Now, will you tell me why ?’

‘Why what ?’

‘You know.’

Robb looked down, blushing, and Theon thought it was rather cute. He waited for the younger man to feel ready to answer. 

‘I… I’ve been watching you for a while, now. You… You seem different.’ 

Robb glanced at Theon quickly. Theon smiled. Robb’s shyness felt absolutely lovely. Before he knew what he was doing, Theon put his hand on Robb’s cheek. Robb gasped, and immediately looked up. Theon softly carressed his skin. Brushing Robb’s lips with his thumb, he whispered :

‘I didn’t like you. I thought you were spying on me.’

‘And now ?’ Robb asked in a breath. 

As an answer, Theon took Robb’s face in both his hands and kissed him on the lips. 

What came after was only burning pleasure, feverish discovery and sweet intimacy, and surely the knowledge they were transgressing the law added to their excitement. After, they lied down for a while, facing one another in silence. 

‘How do you know that place ?’ Robb asked eventually. 

‘I… I come here sometimes, with… professionals.’ 

‘Oh. You’re a repeat offender, then ?’ 

Theon chuckled. He absent-mindedly carressed Robb’s bare skin. 

‘What about you ?’ he asked. 

Robb laughed. 

‘Maybe I am.’ 

‘Giving me that note was quite bold.’ 

‘I’ve done nothing like that before.’ Robb confessed.

‘Am I your first ?’ Theon asked.

Robb blushed, which made Theon laughed slightly. Robb nodded slowly.

‘My first like that, yes,’ he whispered. 

Theon stroke his auburn hair. For a while they did not speak. Eventually, Theon got up. When Robb asked what he was doing, Theon explained that it wasn’t safe to stay here like that. Reluctantly, Robb got up and they both got dressed. 

‘Shall we meet again ?’ Theon asked, buttoning up his shirt. 

‘Do you want to ?’ Robb asked shyly. 

Theon smiled. 

‘What do you think ?’ he asked before kissing Robb on the lips, slowly, softly. 

Robb smiled, blushing. 

‘We can meet here again in a few days,’ Theon said. ‘Now I’m gonna leave, and you’ll wait at least fifteen minutes before going. We can’t be seen together.’

Robb nodded. Theon winked, and got out of the bush. 

They met there and other hidden places regurlarly for several weeks. Theon learned Robb was the last living son of a high Party member that had mysteriously disappeared after a purge. All his family was gone except him. Theon didn’t say it, but knowing this aroused some guilt in him. As a member of the Ministery of Truth, he might have contributed to tarnish his father reputation by modifying the actual truth. His father had also been involved in a lot of political purges. 

Robb wasn’t a true believer in the Party, but after what had happened to his family, he had learned to pretend. Theon was surprised to discover such a rebellious spirit in Robb, whose shyness was actually hiding an inner fire and strong determination. What he wanted most was to avenge his family, and take the Virgin King down. Although, such things seemed rather impossible. That’s why breaking the law in every possible ways was all he had left. Breaking the law with Theon seemed to Robb the sweetest and best thing he had ever done. 

Theon grew more and more attached to Robb. The young man had brought something new, something fresh and exciting to his boring, tedious life. And for the first time in years, Theon felt like someone was really seeing him, knowing him, understanding him. 

‘We should find somewhere else to meet,’ Robb said one day. ‘Somewhere we could call home.’ 

Theon thought about it for a while, then said : 

‘I might know the place.’ 

So on the evening later, Theon took Robb at Locke’s shop. Above the shop was a small room that Locke was ready to rent them at a reasonable price. From that night, they would always meet there, as often as they could. 

Theon told Robb about Ramsay Bolton. He told him about the dream he had, and about his feeling that this man could be trusted. 

‘I think he might be an undercover Son of the Harpy agent,’ Theon said one night. ‘He might be able to help us. To help you avenge your family.’ 

Robb intensely looked at Theon. He lied down on their mattress and stared at the ceiling, thinking. It was dangerous. They couldn’t be sure this Bolton could be trusted. 

‘How do you know ?’ Robb asked. 

‘I don’t know. I just feel it.’

Arranging his position in order to face Robb, Theon asked him how Robb had known he could trust him. Robb chuckled. 

‘I don’t know. I took the risk.’ 

‘That’s what we have to do with Bolton, too,’ Theon replied, going down on Robb with a cheeky smile. 

Robb moaned when Theon took him in his mouth, and that specific matter wasn’t brought up again that night. 

Weeks passed, and nothing would come to disturb their illicit happiness. Theon had forgotten about his fear of being arrested for thoughtcrime, busy as he was with this excquisite forbidden romance. They also decided to attract Bolton’s attention, somehow. But for days, their efforts seemed vain. 

Theon looked at Robb, who had fallen asleep next to him. His youthful body was a real delight of white skin and freckles, and his auburn hair felt like the sun. A sun that was rather rare in the Iron Islands. 

‘What are you thinking about ?’ Robb asked in a sleepy voice, without opening his eyes. 

Theon smiled. With his fingertip, he slowly went down Robb’s spine. 

‘I was counting all the time we have laid,’ he answered. 

‘And ?’ Robb asked, opening his eyes to look at Theon’s face. 

‘I don’t know,’ Theon chuckled, ‘I lost count.’

Robb laughed. Leaning on his elbow, he straighten himself to kiss Theon on the lips. 

How many times had they met here, pressing their love through the night? With this indescribable feeling of doing something forbidden, unlawful, and yet it all felt so right. Their dirty, old bed being their heavenly harbour, what felt like the only safe place in Hell.

Outside, a dog barked. Theon jumped instinctively, looking behind him with wide eyes. Robb looked at him, surprised. The dog kept barking, and Theon was extremely tensed. 

‘Hey,’ Robb called, carressing his arm, ‘what’s wrong ? Is that dog scaring you ?’ 

Theon cleared his throat. 

‘I… I’ve got quite a fear of dogs, yes. My sister told me I was attacked when I was a babe.’ 

‘You never told me about your sister.’ 

‘She’s gone, I don’t know where she is.’

Saddened, Robb apologised. The dog barked again, seeming closer than before. Theon startled again. 

‘Come here,’ Robb whispered, pulling Theon closer. 

Theon curled up in Robb’s arms and closed his eyes. Focusing on his breathing and listening to Robb’s heartbeat, he managed to calm down. 

One morning, while Theon was at his desk, someone came to give him a note. When he read it, he felt his heart racing immediately. Ramsay Bolton was summoning him in his Office on the last floor. Feverish, he got out of his office and excitedly went up. When he arrived on the last floor, he found himself face to face with Robb.

‘You too ?’ he asked. 

Theon nodded. 

They stayed put and quiet for a good quarter of an hour before someone came to take them inside. The room they came in was huge and empty. Massive windows gave an unrivalled view of the city. After a brief moment that seemed like an eternity for Theon and Robb, a door in the back of the room opened. Ramsay Bolton came in. 

‘Good morning,’ he said warmly. ‘Please, take a sit.’

And saying so, he sat on a beautiful red chair. Robb and Theon took place on the sofa in front of him. Bolton asked if they would like some refreshment, and without waiting for them to answer, he called :

‘Reek ! Bring us someting to drink, would you ?’

Meeting Theon’s and Robb’s surprised expression, he declared :

‘I know, what an unfortunate name. Anyway, you must wonder why I called you.’

Theon and Robb glanced at each other. 

‘We hope to know,’ Theon said. 

Ramsay Bolton smiled. At that moment, a man entered with a tray. On the tray, a bottle of rosé and three glasses. The man quickly put the tray on the table and went away, fast and quiet, without ever looking at any of them. At his guests’ new expression of disbelief, Bolton explained that one of the advantages of power was to be allowed to get round the law. He poured wine in the three glasses and took his. After a moment of hesitation, Theon took his, so, eventually, Robb did to. Ramsay watch them, smiling. 

‘So,’ he said, ‘let’s talk business.’ 

He got up, went to open a drawer, and took a book out of it. He gave it to Theon. Theon’s eyes widened. It was a small, thick book with a red cover and a flame carved on it. Above the flame, only one name : Daenerys Targaryen. 

‘It’s…’ Robb muttered. 

‘Yes,’ Ramsay answered with the same wide smile. 

He poured them more wine. He let them go through the book a little before talking again. 

‘Daenerys Targaryen is real. The Sons of the Harpy are real. And they are more influential and powerful than the Government let us know.’ 

‘And you are ?...’ Theon asked, not daring fisnihing his sentence. 

Ramsay Bolton kept smiling. 

‘A Son of the Harpy, yes.’

Robb and Theon glanced at each other again, and smiled. 

Ramsay Bolton explained everything to them. How Daenerys Targaryen was in Essos, waiting for the best moment to strike, and how a huge part of the Sons of the Harpy was actually acting from inside. 

‘Now, the only thing left I have to tell you is to study that book very carefully. I’ll call you again when I think you’re ready.’ 

Ramsay Bolton stood up, so did Theon and Robb. They shook hands, and Bolton escorted them to the door. Before letting them go, he said :

‘We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness.’

#

For weeks and weeks Theon and Robb read the Red Book. They would meet at Locke’s shop every night, and after having shared the bed, they would read a few pages from the book. They would read alloud, one paragraph each, then they would discuss it.

Weeks went like that, to the point they had read the book more than once, but they never heard from Ramsay Bolton again. 

‘He said he’ll come back to us when we’re ready,’ Theon said one night.

‘But how many times should we read that book before we’re ready ?’ Robb complained. 

The younger man was pacing up and down the room. Theon called him back to bed. Quite reluctantly, Robb complied. Theon asked him to be patient, pulling him closer.

‘I know how to make time go faster,’ he said teasingly. 

Robb laughed and surrendered to Theon’s embrace with delight. Later that night, while Theon had dozed off in his arms, Robb was still thinking about the book, and Bolton, and the time it took him to come back to them. Pondering, he started to mumble aloud. 

‘What did you say ?’ Theon asked groggily. 

‘We’re fighting with the eyes of the blind,’ Robb repeated. 

‘And what does that mean ?’ Theon asked, snuggling. 

‘I don’t know, I feel like I’m walking blindfolded.’ 

‘Shut up and sleep,’ Theon suggested. 

Robb stayed silent for a while, then he whispered :

‘We are the dead.’ 

‘Hmmm ?’ 

At that moment, noises were heard downstairs. Theon immediately sat up. 

‘Did you hear that ?’

Robb nodded. In silent agreement, they jumped out of bed and started to get dressed. They heard distinctly as people were running up the stairs. The door opened abruptly. 

‘Seize them,’ ordered a voice they knew. 

Theon had just gotten the time to put his trousers on, Robb was in the middle of buttoning up his shirt. A dozen of men came in, and in a heartbeat, they were both kneeling on the floor with their hands twisted behind their backs, unable to move. 

‘Thank you, Locke, you did well.’

Theon shivered. He looked up and saw Ramsay Bolton standing in the door frame, Locke behind him. The two men were smiling. 

‘Take them away,’ Bolton ordered. 

Robb and Theon struggled, but they couldn’t do anything against all the guards. Robb eventually managed to escape, but he was stopped by a baton blow in his stomach by one of the guard. He fell on the ground, breathless. 

‘No !’ Theon cried out. ‘Leave him be ! Leave him !’

One of the guard hit him in the face. His vision blurred and a painful wheezing echoed in his ears. Then all went black.


	3. Third Book

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really just Angst until the very end...

When Theon woke up he was in complete darkness. The air felt heavy and humide. He screamed, but only the muffled echo of his own voice answered him. 

Theon did not know how long he stayed there, completely alone. Maybe days, maybe weeks, maybe only hours. He was alone. He was scared. And after a while he felt thirsty. Then he felt hungry. 

But no one came. 

He called. He begged. He cried. 

But no one came. 

He licked his salted tears as they fell in his mouth, burning his dry lips. It wasn’t enough to satiate his thirst, but what else could he possibly do ? 

He bit his nails until his fingers bleed. The thirst and hunger were growing so strong that his body started to ache. At some point, he thought of chewing his own fingers to stop his belly to growl. 

The solitude was excruciating. And the silence. In his distress, Theon started to wonder if he was already dead. _Maybe this is what death looks like_, he thought. _Maybe this is Heaven. If it is, its silence competes with Hell_.

And then, someone came. 

The door grated. The light hit Theon in the face, and he shrivelled, eyes burning and crying. 

‘Take him,’ a man said.

Theon felt someone coming closer and put a bag on his head. Then he was dragged out of the room. Theon didn’t resist as he was dragged through corridors, and stairs, and other corridors. Then he heard a door being unlocked, opened, and he was thrown inside another room, still blinded by the bag on his head. 

He stood there for a while, then hands caught him and, after undressing him, the hands forced him down. He was settled on some sort of cross on the floor, his limbs tied to every branches of the cross, his body forming an atrocious X. There he stayed, head under the bag. 

Minutes passed, maybe hours, before someone finally came to join him. He felt fingers caressing him through the fabric of the bag. Then the bag was removed and Theon looked at who it was. 

‘You,’ he whispered in a tired voice. 

‘Me,’ Ramsay Bolton answered. ‘Finally, we meet in the place where there is no darkness.’

He threw the bag away and went to sit next to Theon. 

‘Where is Robb ?’ Theon asked. 

‘Tssst, that’s not our business at the moment.’ 

Ramsay smiled, and Theon looked at him in defiance. Ramsay smiled even more. He carressed Theon’s cheek. Theon tried to escape him but he couldn’t move. 

‘I’m an agent of the Ministery of Love,’ Ramsay said. ‘That’s where you are now. But you know that already, right ?’ 

‘Yes.’ 

‘Good.’

‘Tell me where Robb is.’

Ramsay smirked. He got up. He slowly walked until he reached a handle. Theon watched, silent. 

‘This is a lovely torturing device,’ Ramsay explain. ‘I just have to push that handle a little to cause you severe pain. I would be terribly sad if I had to use it, of course.’

Ramsay smiled in a way that said otherwise. Theon swallowed. Heart racing, he asked :

‘What do you want from me ?’

‘Nothing much. My only wish is, let say, put you back on the right track.’

‘You want me to pledge my loyalty to the Party.’

‘Hmmm, well, it’s a bit more complicated than that,’ Ramsay said playfully. ‘I mean, you could vow whatever I ask you to, right now, couldn’t you ? What I really want is for you to mean it when you do. I want you to actually love the Party. Do you think that possible ?’

Theon swallowed. He was so tired, and hungry, and thirsty, his mind was getting confused. But one thing he knew, it was that he couldn’t love the Party. Never. Not after what his life had been : a lost sister, a lost mother, even dead brothers. And Robb. He could never go back to the Party after Robb. 

‘Yes,’ he said.

Ramsay smiled wickedly, pushing the handle. Theon’s scream resonating inside the room, increased by the metal walls. When it stopped, Theon started crying. 

‘Why ?’ he asked, breathless. 

‘Because you lied.’ 

It took hours, but when it finally stopped, Theon hadn’t surrendered yet. Ramsay came closer. He made him drink some water. 

‘I’ll have you, sooner or later,’ he whispered to his ears. 

He went out and locked the room. No one came to bring Theon back in his black cell. Instead, he stayed there, tied up to the cross, and the light never went off. 

He swore to himself to never actually surrender. To keep his hatred to the Party inside him. Thus, if he were to die here, the Virgin King would still have lost. 

In the morning, Bolton came back. He asked Theon if he was ready to become a good Party member now, full of love and respect for the Virgin King. Theon said he was, and Ramsay pushed the handle. 

That day, Theon begged for Ramsay to stop, saying he would do or say anything he wanted him to. Ramsay just smiled. 

Ramsay came day after day. Every day Theon would say he was ready now, that he loved the Virgin King. Every day, Ramsay pushed the handle. 

‘I’ll break you,’ Ramsay would say. ‘I’ll break you into thousand pieces.’

Theon would scream. 

‘I’ll make you renouce to all the things you’ve ever known, ever loved, and ever believed in.’

Theon would cry.

‘I’ll break you until you forget your own name. And then, I’ll rewrite you entirely, and you will be a good little soldier.’ 

Theon would beg. 

And one day, tired of their little games and Theon’s stubbornness, Ramsay stopped pushing the handle. He came, and simply watched Theon tied up to the cross without talking. At some point, Theon started sobbing. Ramsay smiled. 

The day after, Ramsay didn’t came. But two men freed Theon from the cross and took him out of the room. They had to hold him up, for the pain and starvation had made him weak. Theon was brought to another room, where the men strapped him to a chair. They left him there alone. There was nearly no light and Theon could not see further than his foot.

When Theon was about to pass out from exhaustion, Ramsay’s voice was heard from a speaker in the room. 

‘Here we are,’ the voice said. ‘In the place where the worst thing in the world lies.’ 

Theon started sobbing. He wanted to talk but he was feeling to weak for that. And then, his eyes widened, his blood froze, his heart stopped. 

Dogs had started barking. 

Theon struggled, trying to get up from the chair, but he was too strongly tied up. He heard Bolton laugh in the speaker. 

‘Yes,’ Ramsay said. ‘Dogs. Plenty of them, just here in the room with you.’ 

At that moment the light went on and Theon discovered a dozen of enormous hounds on leash and attached to the wall in front of him. He started to sweat. 

‘No, please, please, no,’ he sobbed. 

‘Yes,’ Ramsay said, clearly enjoying it. ‘Those dogs has been trained to kill. And they’re hungry, oh so hungry. I’ve been starving them for weeks.’ 

Theon cried and beg, and the dogs only seemed to grow angrier. They were barking, growling, showing their massive teeth. 

‘I have a control button here,’ Ramsay explain. ‘When I push it, the leash grows longer.’

He waited for a while, letting Theon grow more and more scared. Then he resumed :

‘Please me, and it will be alright. Disappoint me, and I’ll push that button until they are close enough to eat you.’

‘Please,’ Theon begged, crying and struggling in vain to escape his bounds. 

A mettalic sound was heard and the dogs jumped closer. Theon screamed but the leash prevented them from going too close to him. 

‘So, what can you tell me, Theon ?’ Ramsay’s voiced asked. 

‘I – I.. I love the Party. I love the Virgin King, I… Freedom is slavery, War is…’

‘STOP LYING !’

The metallic sound was heard again and the dogs jumped even closer. 

‘NO, STOP, PLEASE !’ Theon shrieked, his throat burning. 

He started crying so hard he found it hard to keep breathing. He coughed, and sniffed, and wailed. 

‘Please, I – I beg you…’ 

‘Begging is useless, Theon. And it’s starting to annoy me.’

Again, the metallic sound of the leashes being extended resonated in the room. Theon felt like he was going crazy. A dog jumped so close to him he felt its warm, reeking breath on his face. Overwhelmed by terror, he screamed :

‘NO ! Do it to Robb, not to me ! DO IT TO HIM !’ 

The metallic creaking was heard again, but this time it was reversed, and the dogs were forced to go back. Theon was in tears and unable to breath. 

A few minutes later, Ramsay Bolton entered the room. He walked to Theon, took his chin and made him look up. He smiled, but Theon’s vision was blurred. 

‘Good. Very good, Theon,’ Ramsay said. ‘I’m proud of you. It’s starting to work.’ 

Theon sniffed, his breath still hard and heavy. Ramsay carressed his cheeks and stroke his hair, whispering comforting words. Then he declared :

‘Since you’ve been so good, I’ll bring you a full meal, and fresh water. Then, I’ll bring you back to your cell, and I’ll ask you to think carefully about all this. In a few days, we shall have another conversation, you and I.’ 

Theon was too defeated to react. The only thing he was able to do was crying, and crying, and crying. Ramsay untied him and helped him walk out of the room. While they were passing the door frame, he whispered to Theon’s ear :

‘Oh, I almost forgot. Robb is dead. I killed him myself.’ 

The door painfully shot behind them.

#

Reek was lying on the floor, muttering to himself : _War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Power._

The Master called. Reek stood up and ran to the Master’s office. 

_War is peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Power._

A drink for the Master’s guests, of course, right away. Reek went to take a tray, he put a rosé bottle and four glasses on it. He brought it in the Master’s office and put it on the table. Not once he stopped looking at the floor. 

_War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Power._

Reek went back to curl up on the floor of his room – a box room just next to the Master’s office. 

He recalled some of the thing he had dreamed about the night before. Someone’s mother, someone’s sister, lost. An auburn-haired boy. Memories, or fantasies ? 

Fantasies, obviously. What else could they be ? 

_War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Power._

A voice, in the back of Reek’s head.

_And perhaps you might pretend, afterwards, that it was only a trick and that you just said it to make them stop and didn’t really mean it. But that isn’t true_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so so much for reading ! I truly hope you loved it :')
> 
> The song by Bowie that inspired me is We Are the Dead. It inspired the title, though it also is a quote from the 1984 novel. I hid some lyrics of the song in the text, see if you can spot them (it's easy when you know the song).
> 
> The very last line in italic is a quote directly from 1984.


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